


Wait A Minute

by Ukume94



Series: Wait A Minute [1]
Category: Original Work, The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Pre-Zombie Apocalypse, Survival of the Fittest, Zombie Apocalypse, zombie outbreak
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-18
Updated: 2018-01-18
Packaged: 2019-02-23 21:16:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13198719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ukume94/pseuds/Ukume94
Summary: You always think you know what you'd do when faced with the end of the world.Me?I went home and took a nap.





	1. Chapter 1

You always think you know what you'd do when faced with the end of the world.  
Me?  
I went home and took a nap.  
It wasn't the best of naps, with all the screaming and crying coming from my neighbors.  
Turning on the TV knowing I wouldn't get much sleep I flipped it to the news.  
"An outbreak has hit the city of Virginia, Doctors are advising everyone in households to find your nearest physician for a vaccine to help prevent others from contracting the outbreak. Once vaccinated stay in your homes and out of the streets." The news anchor says reading the prompt screen, his hands shaking with every word leaving his mouth.  
Chills creep down my spine thinking about what could be going on outside my small apartment.  
When we had the Ebola scare I stayed home for weeks and kept away from people when I would go out to buy groceries.  
The news shows videos of tons of officers pushing people away from a person that looks to be lurching towards them.  
Without a second thought I change the channel to look for something else to watch besides the news.  
Something less horrific.  
Landing on a cartoon channel, I keep it on there knowing it would keep me entertained for sometime.  
Hours pass, I've watched cartoon episodes one after the other until I finally feel hunger make itself present.  
Leaving the comfort of my couch I make my way towards the kitchen in search for some sugary cereal.  
Filling the entire bowl full of cereal, I walk back into the front room to continue watching my show. Instead of hearing the cartoon sound effects greeting me as I walk into the front room I hear the white noise.  
"What? What happened?" I ask placing my bowl of cereal on the coffee table to try and fix the cheap TV antenna.  
Realizing that I won't be getting the station back I try changing it but finding it doing the same thing on every other channel.  
"Well how am I supposed to be entertained while I eat?" I ask sighing while I plop myself on the couch and grab my cereal.  
Have you ever ate in silence?  
It's absolutely horrible, you have to hear the food inside your mouth crunch under the pressure from you teeth and listen the yourself swallow it down. Honestly the human body makes weird noises when you don't have music or TV to mute the sounds.  
I finish eating; throwing my bowl and spoon in the dishwasher, I look around my apartment and sigh knowing I don't really have much to do.  
I take out a book and begin to read in the silence of the house.  
Fast knocking on my front door causes me to jump, I throw my book on the couch and run towards the door.  
"Xana please let me in, please!" The sound of Holly shouting from the other side of the door.  
Unlocking my door and swinging it open, she runs inside without me asking for her to come in. She slams the door shut and locks it quickly before leaning on the door in exhaustion. She pants against the door shaking from head to toe.  
"Are you okay?"I ask wanting to know what had caused her to run to my door for help.  
"There was a man chasing after me." She answers.  
"What?"  
"A man was chasing after me, he was groaning and following me." Holly adds moving away from the door and walking inside my apartment towards the front room.  
"Wait a minute, you were out there?" I ask flabbergasted.  
"Of course I was, I'm not gonna let some small outbreak keep me in my house afraid."  
"What's it like out there?"  
"It's quiet, hardly anyone on the roads and the stores are practically empty." She answers sticking her nose in the air.  
"That must be nice. Now back to the guy chasing after you." I go back to the earlier story.  
"Okay, so I was walking down the street on my way towards the apartment. I turn hearing footsteps from behind me and notice a man with bloodshot eyes. I run a quick as I can into the apartment doors and up the stairs." She explains.  
"That's all, Holly he could have been a homeless man for all you know."  
"He wasn't homeless because he was wearing a suit."  
"He could have been on drugs." She responds quietly.  
"Doubt it, did he say anything to you?"  
"No, he just growled at me."  
I begin to laughing thinking about the homeless drugged guy growling in a flirtatious way towards Holly.  
"It's not funny Xana, I'm being serious."  
"Okay, I'm sorry but think of it in my perspective. It sounds like the drugged homeless lawyer has the hots for you."  
Holly smiles softly but shakes her head. "it wasn't that kind of growl. It was like he couldn't speak and that was the only way he could make noise."  
"So he's also a mute?"  
"I'm not joking around here Xana, that man was weird."  
"Well just think of it this way, you'll never see him again."  
She nods in understanding. "Do you think I could stay here tonight?"  
Oh God, Holly stay the night in my apartment?  
I've known her for three years, she was the first person to greet me when I moved into my apartment; giving me a peach cobbler she said she made but really bought in a organic grocery store. She's a sweet person but there's a limited time I can handle being around the woman.  
"I don't know Holly."  
"Please, I don't want to be alone."  
God help me tonight.  
"Okay, you can stay the night." I mutter.  
"Thank you Xana, you're a life saver." She coos smiling.

\-----------------------------

The slowest hour of my life passes having Holly talk to me about her time shopping in the mall the other day in search for a perfect dress for her best friends birthday party.  
With every detail and description of how much she spent in one store to how long it took her to find the dress.  
"What about you Xana?"  
"No, I don't care about wearing a dress for my friends birthday parties. I hate wearing dresses." I admit.  
"No dork, I mean when's your birthday?" She asks with a smile on her face.  
"Oh, uh my birthday is April 20th." I answer.  
"Mine is March 7th." Holly replies. "If I ask you to wear a dress for my birthday would you do it?"  
"Nope, I hate dresses in fact the last time I wore a dress I was five years old. We had a Christmas play being held in my school and I remember hating the ugly red dress so much I made sure I dropped food all over the thing so I would have to take it off." I explained with a smile on my face as I remember a memory I hadn't thought about in years.  
"That's so sad, I love dresses." Holly sighs shaking her head.  
We sit in silence for a few minutes, of course I'm enjoying every minute of it knowing I wouldn't have to feel like I have to entertain Holly and more then I have to.  
"So are you originally from Virginia?" She begins.  
I nod my head. "Yeah, I'm originally from Annandale."  
"Really? What made you come to Del Ray?"  
I roll my eyes hating to tell this part of my life story.  
"Was it a boy?" She asks.  
"Kind of, let's just say none of it worked out."  
"You have to tell me." She exclaims her eyes wide with curiosity.  
"Honestly Holly, I would rather stick a needle in my eye then talk about my past." I growl wishing she would just forget the whole thing.  
"Okay, must be a real touchy subject for you."  
I keep my mouth shut not wanting to fuel the fire.  
"So, where are you gonna have me sleep tonight?" Holly asks changing the subject.  
I stand to my feet and head towards the hall closet grabbing extra blankets and a pillow. Making my way back towards the front room I place them onto the couch.  
"You'll be sleeping here tonight." I answer sounding harsher then I planned.  
"Sure, okay. I'll just sleep on the couch then."  
Without another word I head towards my bedroom to get changed. Slipping into my pajamas and placing my shoulder length black hair into a messy bun, I head back out into the front room seeing Holly fixing the couch to look like a bed.  
I know I was being a bit rude to Holly but she has to know there are boundaries in conversations.  
I look to my toes and clear my throat.  
"Are you hungry?" I ask.  
She turns her attention towards me, a smile appearing on her face. She nods quietly.  
I make my way into the kitchen and start to cook up a oven pizza.  
Grabbing two sodas from the fridge and walking into the front room with the food, we sit on the floor using the coffee table for our drinks and the pizza box as out plate.  
"What were you doing when you found out about the outbreak?" She asks before taking a bite of pizza.  
"I was at work." I answer.  
"What do you do again?"  
"I'm a hair stylist." I answer.  
"No way, you can totally cut my hair anytime."  
I chuckle softly and nod my head. "I can do more then just cut."  
"Well I really don't want to color my natural blonde hair, my mom always told me its bad for the brain."  
I laugh once again hearing those words. I shake my head in disagreement.  
"Really?" She asks in shock that her moms theory was wrong.  
"Hair color and bleaching are toxic to the body only if it finds a way inside. That could cause brain damage and neurological damage. Other wise it's safe."  
"Good to know, I'll have to think about it." She smiles.  
I glance towards my clock on my wall and notice half past nine.  
"I don't want to be a buzz kill or anything but I have to get to bed so I can get to work in the morning." I groan as I stand from the floor and grab all the left over food into the kitchen.  
"Do you think they'll be open with the whole outbreak thing?"  
"You went shopping didn't you?"  
"Yeah I guess you're right. Well I had a lot of fun talking to you tonight."  
"I did too." I answer walking into my room.  
"Goodnight Xana."  
"Night Holly."  
I close my door and climb into bed, having sleep take me into it's arms.  



	2. Chapter 2

The sound of an explosion wakes me out of my sleeping state, I run to the window in my bedroom and see that the business area by the apartment is on fire.  
"What the hell?"  
"Xana!" Holly screams from the front room.  
I run out of my room seeing her leaning against the window, tears streaming down her face.  
"Why are they doing that?" She asks turning towards me.  
"I don't know." I answer.  
Alarms fill the dawn air, lights in homes and apartments switching on.  
"I'm scared Xana." She admits wiping tears from her eyes.  
"Don't be, I need to find out what's happening out here."  
"No, don't go out there. You could get killed." She warns grabbing my arm to stop me from moving.  
"Not what I had in mind." I reply having her let go of my arm before I walk into my bedroom and turn on the radio.  
"Attention. Attention. This is the Emergency Broadcast System, this is not a test. Evacuate your premises immediately, evacuate immediately to Washington D.C. where there will be shelter for all. Evacuate immediately and stay tuned to this frequency for further instructions." The radio alerts as it begins to repeat itself.  
"Oh my God, we need to leave." Holly cries as she stands by the door.  
"How are we to get out of here and make our way to D.C. One, those highways are going to be packed. Two, I don't own a vehicle." I begin.  
"I do, I have my car that we can use to get out of here."  
"Like I said already, we won't make it far with all the traffic we'll be getting ourselves into. I think we should just play it safe and stay here."  
"How is that safe?"  
"Well if you haven't looked out there, their blowing up streets for one thing."  
"Doesn't mean they're doing all of them."  
"I'm not going to take that chance." I reply shaking my head.  
"That's stupid, it's cause you're afraid."  
"No, it's because I would rather be in the comfort of my own home then out an about not knowing when I'm actually going to make it to D.C. to this so called safe haven."  
"Well I want to go."  
"I'm not stopping you." I shout back walking towards my bedroom window and watch the crazy world outside.  
Holly rolls her eyes as she leaves my bedroom doorway.  
The sun rises proudly above the Virginian sky, clouds decorating the newly blue globe along with man made smoke coming off of buildings they blew up.  
I shake my head thinking about how crazy Holly is, how could she want to leave the apartment and go into the fearful world?  
A Helicopter flies through the sky, the loud humming from the rotors becoming louder and louder as it comes closer to my apartment complex.  
Could they be coming to bomb the building like the other helicopter had?  
Keeping my fingers crossed the helicopter lifts higher and disappears over the top of the building.  
I sigh when nothing happens, knowing I would be living for now.  
I sit upon my bed watching the other helicopters fly through the sky, around homes and businesses.  
The silence fills the air within my room causing an eerie feeling to creep into my spine. With a surprise the radio begins to play the alarm once again which causes me to jump in my seat.  
I turn glancing to the radio hating that it scared me but also thankful that it's still working unlike the TV.  
""Attention. Attention. This is the Emergency Broadcast System, this is not a test. Evacuate your premises immediately, evacuate immediately to Washington D.C. where there will be shelter for all. Evacuate immediately and stay tuned to this frequency for further instructions." It repeats.  
I shake my head knowing that there will be tons of people listening to the radio believing their going to find the safe haven without any problem.  
I get up off my bed and walk over towards the window and look down seeing tons of people walking out of their homes and towards their cars.  
"Idiots." I whisper to myself shaking my head and heading out of my room.  
Walking into the front room I notice my front door wide open.  
"Holly!" I shout walking towards the door in anger.  
I go to close the door when a hand stops me from moving it back.  
Holly.  
"What the hell?" I ask lifting my eyebrows in anger.  
"I had to grab all my stuff. I grabbed my suitcase and packed it as quickly as possible." She begins pulling in her suitcase.  
"I already told you Holly, I'm not leaving."  
"I know, I think it's a stupid idea but I thought about it when I got into my house. I thought about what you said and I agree with you."  
I nod my head quickly and close my front door immediately making sure nobody unwelcome makes their way inside.  
"So what are we going to do?" She asks taking a seat on my couch.  
"We wait."  
"For?"  
"I don't know. We just need to wait till we know it's clear."  
"How in the world are we going to find ourselves in the clear?"  
"When it's quiet." I answer walking towards the window and watching all the people leave in their cars.  
"We should be one of those cars."  
"You can still leave." I comment glancing back slightly.  
"What are you so afraid of?" She asks raising her voice.  
I turn around with anger keeping my eyes on her as I walk towards her. "How do you know that what their doing isn't actually a trap for all these people?" I ask.  
She watches me as I make my way closer and closer towards her.  
"How do you know that all these people are going to survive once they make it to D.C?"  
Her eyes begin to fill up with unshed tears.  
"What if they all make it to D.C. and they blow up the entire city just like the did with the business center over here?" I finish looking into her eyes.  
Holly blinks the tears falling down her cheeks.  
"How can you think like that?" She asks wiping the tears from her eyes.  
"How can you not?" I answer her question with a question.

_____________________________

Hours pass by, Holly still seated on the couch having said one word to me since our spat.  
The radio repeating the same instructions over and over inside my room.  
I on the other hand have been making plans in the kitchen, paper sprawled out on the table as I try to figure out where we can go and what we can do.  
"I'm hungry." I hear Holly finally speak.  
Popping my gum that I've been chewing for an hour now, I lean back and glance towards the doorway to the front room.  
"Whatever we eat we're going to have to keep portions small." I answer.  
"Why?"  
Sighing I roll the gum around in my mouth and lean in my chair again. "So we can keep enough food till everything gets fixed up."  
"When is that?"  
"Do I look like I have a crystal ball to tell the future?" I ask sarcastically.  
"You know you can be really rude sometimes."  
"So I've been told." I answer continuing on with my plans.  
"What are you doing in there anyway?" Holly asks standing and walking towards the doorway to the kitchen.  
"I'm making ourselves an itinerary just in case things go south."  
"Haven't they already gone south?"  
"Things can always go from bad to worse, believe me. I've seen it."  
Silence fills the room except for the sound of my pen scribbling on the sheet of paper.  
"So let's say something really bad were to happen, what do you have planned?"  
"Well let's say we're going to have to scavenge for food and water. That's going to be our first priority for a few days. Just in case things get really bad we'll have to find houses that we can stay in and find clothes."  
"So you're telling me that were going to be squatters and steal peoples clothes?"  
"Yes I am, haven't you ever needed a place to stay so bad that you squatted in a someones house?"  
"Ewe, never. Have you?"  
"I have. It's not the best memory for me but it happened."  
"What kind of life have you known?" Holly asks walking towards the chair I'm sitting on.  
"A shitty one." I answer looking away to continue my work on the paper.  



	3. Chapter 3

Day's go by while we remain in the apartment, eating small amounts of food and drinking the left over soda I have left in my fridge.  
The radio continues to repeat the same sentences over and over, after hearing the same thing again and again I've been tempted to turn the damn thing off but just in case something changes I keep it on.  
Holly has been a trooper, listening to the plans I've made just in case.  
She cries every night thinking about her family.  
I wish I could say I was worried for mine but with how things left off I know they don't really care if I'm alive or dead.  
I make my way out of my room and into the bathroom to relive myself, once finished I turn the handle to the sink finding no water coming out.  
"You've got to be shitting me." I groan walking out of the bathroom and into the living room where Holly is sleeping.  
"Bad news." I announce hearing her stir on the bed.  
"What?" She asks with sleep still in her voice.  
"Water is long gone from the pipes. Which means the shower we were talking about having today is forever a pipe dream."  
"What?" She jumps out of the bed and runs to the bathroom just in case I was lying. "Oh God!" She shouts.  
"Told you." I comment shaking my head before making my way towards the kitchen.  
The smell of the trash beginning to stink up the kitchen.  
"So, looks like we also need to make our way outside and throw the trash." I start once I hear Holly make her way out of the bathroom and towards the kitchen.  
"You want us to go out there? What if we get the outbreak?"  
"I'm pretty sure we're fine so far."  
I collect the bag, tying it up to make sure no raccoons make their way inside the bag.  
"You ready?" I ask turning to her and watching as she gives me a nervous smile.  
"Not really." She answers honestly.  
"If we hurry we can get this done and not have to worry about it later."  
She agrees with a nod and follows me towards the door.  
For the first time in five days I unlock the door and make our way outside the room.  
The hallway is quiet, no sound of the normal people watching TV or coughing. We walk past other doors towards the stairs.  
The smell of fire smoke and dirt wafts into my nose.  
I cover my sleeved arm over my nose to block out the burning odor.  
"Piu, it stinks." Holly complains as she covers her nose.  
"Let's just make this quick." I answer continuing to make our way outside and in the open.  
We walk towards the large trash bins, grasping onto the trash bag I quickly throw it back and forth so I can make it fly in to the bin.  
Releasing the trash we watch it fly into the air and inside the trash bin.  
"Nice shot." She compliments with a smile.  
"Thank you thank you." I smile turning around to head towards the stairwell.  
I glance towards the street noticing a woman laying on the ground.  
"Oh my God!" I shout before running towards the woman to make sure she's alive.  
Once we reach her, I kneel by her side. Her long brown hair covering her face.  
"Is she alive?" Holly asks.  
I sigh as I take a breath of courage and place two fingers on the pulse point in her neck.  
I wait a few seconds to feel the tiny beats upon the skin of my fingers but don't feel a thing.  
I shake my head answering her question.  
"No, she's dead. Looking at her she must have been an unfortunate that was in the middle of the bombing. Her clothes are covered in ash." I answer standing up and shaking my head.  
"What can we do for her?"  
"What can we do? The government will have to pick the body up eventually." I answer.  
"Should we say a few words for her?" Holly asks.  
"Feel free to say whatever you feel, I didn't know her."  
Holly closes her eyes as she begins to think what to say. I shake my head as I try to keep from laughing at her.  
"Woman in the blue pencil skirt, we may have not known you but your death will not be in vein. You will be recognized for your bravery and -"  
"Holy crap she's moving!" I shout backing up from the body bringing Holly with me.  
The woman groans as she struggles to climb onto her heeled shoes.  
"I'm so happy you're alive, we thought you were dead." Holly says walking towards the woman.  
"Holly, I don't think that's a good idea." I comment as Holly places her hand onto the woman's wrist helping her up.  
The woman lifts her head, eyes grey and mouth ripped open from the side of her cheek to her bottom lip. Blood dripping from the wound.  
"Are you okay?" Holly asks moving to examin the woman's face. That's when the woman in the skirt tries to bite Holly's arm.  
I pull her away quickly from the woman, a groan escaping her ripped mouth as she tries to go for another bite.  
"What the hell is happening?" Holly asks in fear.  
"I don't know." I answer turning around to see a man in a suit with grey eyes just like the woman.  
I kick the man in the middle of his stomach, watching him fly back with a groan.  
I grab Holly by the arm and begin running into the stairwell, I glance behind is to see the door close before the grey eyed man can walk inside.  
We continue running through the building till we reach my apartment, I open my door and quickly make our way inside. Slamming it closed without a second thought.  
"What... The hell... Was that all about?" I ask panting for air.  
Holly leans over, hands on her knees as she shakes her head not being able to catch her breath.  
"I thought you said she was dead." Holly finally says.  
"She was, there wasn't a pulse in her neck."  
"Well that's not possible." She comments shaking her head.  
"I know what I felt. She was dead. Didn't you see the large cut upon her face. Nobody could survive that." I explain looking into Holly's eyes.  
"The dead can't just walk the earth." Holly remarks shaking her head and walking away.  
"I know what I saw Holly, She wasn't alive."  
"How can dead walk around Xana, it's not possible." She answers turning around.  
I shake my head trying to wrap my head around what I saw.  
How can the dead walk around? I ask myself replaying the past few minutes in my head.  
The man in the suit with the grey eyes, the woman in the blue skirt with the massive cut on her face.  
Why did any of this start?  
"The outbreak." I answer loudly.  
"What?"  
"It has to be, it would only make sense. The outbreak is the reason the dead people are walking around."  
"That doesn't make any sense."  
"Why wouldn't it make sense?" I ask quickly. "It's the only thing that's changed our entire being since it's started."  
"It's just a sickness that's going around and will be cured by the CDC. It's going to be fine." Holly comments before walking out of the room leaving me alone in the front room.  
I know I'm right. I know this has to do something with the outbreak. If I can't get Holly to believe me, I'm Just going to have to show her.

\-----------------------------

I sit in my room on my bed, reading the same few lines in the book I had been reading for the past week. I've turned down the radio so I can try and get some reading in but find myself continuing to think about how I'm going to show her that my theory is correct.  
Tossing the book to the side, I move to the side of the bed. Glancing out the windown in front I notice large army helicopters flying through the sky.  
The sound begins to pick up as they come closer and closer to the building.  
"Xana, do you hear that?" Holly asks running into my room with excitment playing on her face.  
Nodding I quickly make my way to the window to watch and see where they're headed.  
Holly runs over opening the window, the smell of the smoke seeping it's way into my room. She leans through the open window and begins to wave her arms outside.  
"Help, help we're in here!" She screams.  
I pull her back and out of the window, watching her fall to the ground with a loud thump.  
"What in the hell are you doing?" I ask with anger dripping from my words.  
"I'm trying to get help, we're stuck here."  
"I'm not stuck here, I'm staying here because that is the safest route to take. You don't know what these people are going to do to us if they find us."  
"They're going to help us because that's what the amry is for. To help Americans when in need."  
"I've told you this before and I will gladly say it again, I do not need any help from anyone. I can take care of myself and keep myself alive for years. If you on the other hand are worried or scared because you don't trust me; the door is right out there. I'm not going to deal with this I'm with you and I'm against you shit any longer. Either you want to work with me or you want those service men taking you to D.C., you make your choice quick or I'll make it for you."  
Turning my head I notice one of the helicopters flying over head and coming closer and closer to the top of the apartment.  
"They're landing on the building." I start turning to look towards Holly crying on the floor.  
The wind from the helicopter begins to blow air from coming so close.  
Some of my thing on my desk begin to blow from the wind, placing my hands on the desk I try to keep some papers from flying around.  
"They're going to save us now." Holly says standing up by my bed.  
I turn to her squinting my eyes towards her in a angry manner.  
"You not me." I answer turning my head just in time to see the picture of my brother that layed on my desk fly through the air and out my wondow.  
"No!" I scream as I leave my papers on my desk to fly everywhere as I run out of my room to head outside to go and fetch my picture.  
As I swing the door open I'm greeted with guns pointed towards me and men in uniform as they search door by door.  
"We have a live one." One man says grabbing my arm and pushing me towards another one of their men.  
"Don't worry ma'am you're safe now." The man says walking me up the stairs.  
"No, we're going the wrong way. I need to get something that just flew out of the window." I announce pushing myself out of his grasp.  
"I can't let you leave." He says pulling me up the stairs.  
"Please, I need to get my picture." I shout turning and biting the mans hand. He releases me with a shout, without turning around to see if he was going after me I take off running down the stairs until I reach the bottom level.  
"Find her." Someone says from up the stairs.  
I quickly open the door and make my way outside seeing the man and woman near the dumpster.  
I run past them towards the edge of the street.  
I look around for the picture in a rush knowing the man and woman will spot me or the service men will reach me.  
The sound of the door opening and shots firing cause me to turn around and notice the service men had killed the man and woman.  
I run farther away still searching for any sign of my picture until I see it laying against a gate.  
Running up to it I pick it up kissing my brothers picture before being captured by the service men.


	4. Chapter 4

I sit in a room alone with a glass of water placed on a table. The room I'm locked in looks like one of those questioning rooms that cop shows have where they keep people for interrogation.  
I hold onto my brothers picture, his blue eyes greeting mine along with that sweet smile.  
I was taken into their helicopter after being pulled over one of the men's shoulders and brought here into this room.  
Holly sat across from me in the helicopter as the men kept held me by my arm.  
Taking the glass of water I take a drink of fresh water for the first time in four days.  
As I savor the amazing water the door opens revealing a tall man.  
"So you're the girl who gave my men a hard time on their mission." He starts walking towards the chair across from me, pointing he asks silently to take a seat.  
I nod once not really having a problem with him sitting across from me.  
"Do you have anything to say about your actions?"  
Rainsing an eyebrow I smirk.  
"I told the guy I wanted to get something that fell out of my window because of the wind from their rotors." I explain.  
"Is that what you lost?" He asks pointing towards the picture in my hand.  
I nod softly looking to the picture.  
"Is that your son?" He asks.  
I shake my head.  
"Brother." I answer softly.  
"He's a cute guy, how old?"  
"Six."  
"My daughter is six, maybe they could become good friends." He says smirking.  
Hating that he's continuing to talk about my brother I clench my teeth and give him an angry look.  
"Are you going to punish me for making your men go on a wild goose chase or are you going to continue talking about my brother?" I ask hatefully.  
"Easy tiger, I'm just making conversation."  
"Well I'm finished talking." I growl eyeing the man across from me.  
"Alright, then just listen." He says straightening in his chair. "You had my men close to being killed by the dead, I don't know if you know too much about them but they'll tear anyone apart without a thought."  
"What are you talking about?" I ask in confusion.  
"You don't know?" He asks eyeing me.  
I give him a black look.  
"That makes more sense now." He says leaning back in his chair connecting the imaginary dots. "If you would have known you wouldn't have ran out of there like you had." He stands pushing his chair towards the table and walking towards the door.  
"I don't understand." I comment.  
"Come with me. I have to show you and your blonde friend something." He says opeing the door.

\-----------------------------

We walk into a testing lab, people in white coats examining liquids in beakers.  
Holly walks beside me, her eyes wide in shock of where the taller man is taking us.  
"Are you taking us to the right place?" Holly asks with a brooding look.  
"Just through those doors, I do have to ask you both please put your hair up so she can't grab it." He answers as we stop by the door.  
"I don't have anything with me, everything is back in her apartment." Holly says.  
I sigh as I place my hand into my pocket and grab two elastics for our hair.  
"How did you know to keep those?" Holly asks impressed as she reaches for the elastic.  
"I'm a hair stylist, I always carry them." I answer.  
"Right."  
We both pull up our hair, making sure whatever is in that room doesn't pull our hair.  
"Alright ladies." He says opening the door and walking inside.  
We follow behind noticing a woman facing the back wall, her jeans covered in dirt and blood.  
"Is she okay?" Holly asks.  
The woman turns around hearing Holly speak, her face missing from what must have been an explosion.  
"Oh my God!" Holly screams turning around and beginning to vomit.  
"What the hell, how did this happen?" I ask stepping closer.  
The man stops me by holding my shoulder. "That's far enough. She was one of the unfortunate ones to die in the explosion in the city."  
"If she died why is she walking?" I ask.  
"Tests are being ran in the other room, the outbreak that has hit this and many other states is the cause of it."  
I turn and look to Holly. "I told you."  
She rolls her eyes a she wipes the side of her mouth of the leftover vomit.  
"Other states are dealing with this?" Holly asks straightening up.  
"All of them actually." He answers softly looking down to the ground.  
"What do you know so far?" I ask the man.  
"So far we found out that the outbreak multiplies, it's growing bigger and bigger every hour." He begins.  
"Is there a cure?" Holly asks.  
"That we're not sure of. What we do know is the basics. If a person is scratched or bit by one of the dead they will contract the virus."  
"Bit?" Holly asks flabbergasted.  
"Yes, it seems that the dead enjoy eating others." He answers.  
I smack Holly with the back of my hand. "It makes sense now, that woman in the blue dress. She snapped at you." I remember.  
Holly opens her mouth in shock, her breathing quickening.  
"I could have been infected by the blue skirt bitch." She whines placing her hands on her face in shock.  
"After a person gets bit; does it make the person sick?"  
"Not exactly. The virus it causes an extremely high fever that will cause death. Also depending on where the person is bit, it could just kill you."  
"That's terrifying." Holly comments.  
"How do you kill them?" I ask.  
"Xana, what's wrong with you?" Holly snaps.  
"What, lets say one of those things are coming after us and we don't know how to kill it."  
"It's still a human being."  
"A dead human being that has a virus that can kill you."  
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you the rest, after getting bit or scratched you turn into one of them." The tall man interrupts.  
I turn and look to Holly. "Do you still want to know how to kill one of these or do you just want me to make sure you have a nice place as a grave?"  
Holly glares at me, her eyes dark with anger. "The way to kill one of the dead you have to aim for the brain, killing the brain is what you want to do." He says looking to me.  
I nod and glance towards Holly. She has her eyes downcasted as she kicks the ground.  
"Thank you for telling us all thos important information. This will help us when we leave and go on our own."  
"Leave?" Holly asks.  
"Yes, I don't want to stay here for long. I want to go back home."  
"What we need to do is stau with them so we can head to D.C. where everything is going to be safer."  
The man clears his thorat. "I don't mean to interrupt ladies but D.C. isn't going to help much."  
"And why the hell not?" Holly asks turning towards the man.  
"We've lost contact with our other branch."  
"What does that mean?"  
"The dead has taken D.C." He answers his eyes on us as he gives us the devastating news.  



	5. Chapter 5

The man took us to a room where we can sleep for the night. Two beds on each side of the room and one night stand in between each bed.  
"I bet you're so thrilled that we won't leave your precious apartment now." Holly says with venom dripping from her words.  
"If you haven't noticed we're not in my precious apartment anymore." I reply looking to the blonde girl. "I'm sorry that your plan crashed and burned but you don't have to treat me like shit because of it."  
"If I would have gone instead of being with you maybe things would have been different."  
"Of course they would, you'd be dead. You're welcome for keeping you alive or did you want to die?"  
"That's not what I'm saying and you know it."  
"What are you saying? Cause what I'm hearing is you're angry with me because I didn't let you go on that death trip to D.C. like I said before Holly, I wasn't stopping you. You could have gone whenever you wanted but you just wouldn't leave."  
"I didn't want to leave you alone." Holly shouts.  
"Wow, you really did me a favor; by eating and drinking all my stuff. Real caring on your part."  
"Screw you Xana, you can go to hell."  
"Isn't that where we are now?"  
Holly turns away from me, angry tears streaming down her cheeks.  
I shake my head with anger wishing I was back in my apartment listening to the stupid raido repeat the same line over and over again.  
"Once they let us go we're going to keep going. I'll go back to my apartment and grab some clothes. Maybe we could find a save zone."  
"We're in a safe zone Xana, we're in the most safest area then when we were in your apartment. Why would you want to think of leaving this place?"  
"Just in case something were to happen, how do we get out? Where can we find food and water?"  
"Nothing is going to happen Xana, these men and women are trained. They will keep us safe till the CDC finds a cure, just like you said."  
I shake my head. "This place could go to shit quicker then you know it, I don't want to wait to see it happen. I don't want to be in the middle of it."  
"Well we're not going to have a choice, they gave us a room. The schedule for meal times and showers." She pauses to look towards me. "A shower Xana, we couldn't shower in your place."  
"I'm sure a shower isn't the most important item we need with all this scary stuff going on."  
Holly rolls her eyes and shakes her head.  
"You're unbelievable."  
"And you're a pain in my ass." I comment as I walk over towards the bed and take a seat.  
Holly growls towards me and walks towards the door, swinging it open she looks to me before walking out and slamming it closed.  
Finally maybe some peace and quiet.

\-----------------------------

I awake to Holly crying in the bed next to mine. Her sobs sounding as if she's trying to keep them controlled but failing.  
I turn to glance over my shoulder, her back faces towards me; her shoulders shaking.  
I sigh softly.  
"What's wrong Holly?" I ask trying to keep my annoyance as minimal as possible.  
The last time we spoke we were practically screaming at each other.  
She turns to look towards me, she shakes her head not wanting to talk about it.  
Normally I would take that as an answer and leave it at that but it's Holly.  
"You sure?" I press.  
She turns around her watery eyes looking into mine.  
"I'm scared." She answers.  
"Of course, I am too." I comment.  
"I know I won't be able to do what you'll be able to do." She says in between sobs.  
What is she trying to get at?  
I think about when I was younger and my mom would talk to me when I would cry.  
She would sit by me and talk to me until I didn't have a tear left in my eyes.  
I sit up and make my way towards her. Taking a seat on her bed she quickly moves towards me, leaning her head against my shoulder.  
Tears stream from her eyes down her cheeks.  
"What do you mean?" I ask hoping I'm comforting her in any way.  
"You're strong." She states.  
If she only knew what I've been through to make me the way I am. This strength didn't appear over night.  
"Well so are you." I answer turning to look to her.  
What is she trying to say?  
"No, not like you." She says trying to calm herself as she sits up and wipes her tears from her face.  
"You know how to fight, you're strong inside and out. It's like you're made for this kind of thing. I'm not like that, I'm weak. I can't fight. I can't go a day without showering. I basically need my phone to live."  
"You think you need that kind of thing to make it. Really all you need to do is WANT. You need to WANT to keep going. You need to WANT to keep fighting, to keep living. I'm afraid too, believe me but my want to keep going is on overdrive that I can't let my fear get a hold of me." I begin as I wrap my arm around her shoulder and rub it gently.  
"Don't be afraid of what could happen, kick it in the add and make sure that whatever could happen is afraid to mess with you." I answer looking into her eyes and seeing hope appear inside them.  
"You reallu think I can make it?" She asks.  
"Of course I do. We're going to have to have each others backs. You're the only person I have left."   
She smiles softlt before wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug.  
"Thank you Xana." She says.  
"No problem."  
She pulls back looking down towards the tiled floor.  
"I'm sorry for being a bitch eariler." She says keeping her eyes on mine.  
"Me too. I guess if we're going to have each others back we're going to have to get along more." I smile.


End file.
